Well, today we had the first major snowfall of the season. I've been completely lazy about taking care of plants and pots and what-not, and will now probably regret it. I did manage to rescue two of the houseplants that were still hanging on, outside in the driveway, and put them in the garage. But I'm sure now I have lost the roses that never made it into the ground last year, nor this year. I may have one or two other houseplants that are now buried.
I'm hoping the new raspberry bushes make it through the winter. The ones that I have planted in pots in previous years have pretty much done okay, but those are nestled along the house. I don't have any more space to do that with the new ones from along the driveway. I'm contemplating moving them near the garage, instead.
We'll see how motivated I feel to work in the frigid cold this weekend. The wind is too strong tonight to even think about it! :-)
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Admitting Defeat
This morning when I woke up, the sun was actually shining. I put the dogs out on their lead, and looked over at the decrepit veggie garden. I had to admit defeat and finally clean it out, because I just can't take it anymore.
Most of what was left was grass that had grown in once I gave up trying to grow stuff in it after the raccoons ate everything. There were a couple of little green onions that never amounted to anything, probably having been overwhelmed by everything else. I was hoping they would have grown into proper onions by now. And there were a couple of little wannabe melons. One had definitely been a musk melon (or cantaloupe, depending on where you live). I had unfortunately missed it, so I don't know how it would have tasted, though it was the size of a tennis ball.
I also have a couple of small watermelons, also the size of a tennis ball. One is turning a little yellowish, which means it is past its prime. But a couple more just fell off the vine, so maybe they will have a slightly tasty treat for me? I'll take them to work with me this week.
I also cleaned out the tomato pots. Tomatoes this year were a total joke. It really didn't seem to ever get quite hot enough for them to grow as profusely as they usually do. And I hardly got anything from the ones that I started from seed, vs. the ones I bought as plants from the nurseries.
So, I came to some very important conclusions today during the cleaning process.
Rule #1 -- Better to just start everything from plant that is purchased at a nursery, with the exception of peas (because I've never been able to get the plants to grow as well as the seeds), and beans (because beans are too easy).
Rule #2 -- Melons are probably okay, but need to be started much more in advance. I forget when I finally got around to them, but I know they were on clearance, so maybe it was July?
Rule #3-- MUST research ways to keep those damn raccoons away, because I was so stoked to have corn growing, but those bastards literally ate every one of them.
Rule #4 -- Must also find a way to have enough time and money to spend time working in my own yard, and to not feel the need to stay inside to write my heart out for money when I'm not out working my fingers to the bone for others.
I'm sure there were a few more rules, but I'll think of them later. ;-)
Most of what was left was grass that had grown in once I gave up trying to grow stuff in it after the raccoons ate everything. There were a couple of little green onions that never amounted to anything, probably having been overwhelmed by everything else. I was hoping they would have grown into proper onions by now. And there were a couple of little wannabe melons. One had definitely been a musk melon (or cantaloupe, depending on where you live). I had unfortunately missed it, so I don't know how it would have tasted, though it was the size of a tennis ball.
I also have a couple of small watermelons, also the size of a tennis ball. One is turning a little yellowish, which means it is past its prime. But a couple more just fell off the vine, so maybe they will have a slightly tasty treat for me? I'll take them to work with me this week.
I also cleaned out the tomato pots. Tomatoes this year were a total joke. It really didn't seem to ever get quite hot enough for them to grow as profusely as they usually do. And I hardly got anything from the ones that I started from seed, vs. the ones I bought as plants from the nurseries.
So, I came to some very important conclusions today during the cleaning process.
Rule #1 -- Better to just start everything from plant that is purchased at a nursery, with the exception of peas (because I've never been able to get the plants to grow as well as the seeds), and beans (because beans are too easy).
Rule #2 -- Melons are probably okay, but need to be started much more in advance. I forget when I finally got around to them, but I know they were on clearance, so maybe it was July?
Rule #3-- MUST research ways to keep those damn raccoons away, because I was so stoked to have corn growing, but those bastards literally ate every one of them.
Rule #4 -- Must also find a way to have enough time and money to spend time working in my own yard, and to not feel the need to stay inside to write my heart out for money when I'm not out working my fingers to the bone for others.
I'm sure there were a few more rules, but I'll think of them later. ;-)
Friday, October 16, 2009
Late raspberries
So, this morning I was on my way to the garage to go to work, when I paused by the trash can to deposit some trash. Next to the trash bin is a pot with one of my many raspberry bushes. And there are actually raspberries on it! Granted, they weren't ripe, but a couple of them looked like they could ripen within the week, if the weather cooperated. The problem is, this is Upstate NY, and we are notorious for crappy weather. Apparently Ithaca got dumped on last night, and the storm barely missed Rochester.
However, it was still nice to see some signs of life as the weather gets colder. I'm also enjoying numerous rose blooms at the moment. Perhaps I may eventually get around to uploading more pictures? :-)
However, it was still nice to see some signs of life as the weather gets colder. I'm also enjoying numerous rose blooms at the moment. Perhaps I may eventually get around to uploading more pictures? :-)
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Update on Raccoons
So, tonight when I got home from my escapades and let the dogs out, the infamous "Teacha" called out across to me. He had to tell me his version of his wife's story about the raccoons in my yard.
Quick backstory: He just moved into the house across the street a few months ago. He loves to drink his 40s, then give prophecies and lots of advice, especially if it somehow entails him making money off of my efforts. The beer makes him relatively incoherent, and you have to take the bits and pieces you heard repeated 18 times, then sift them to figure out what he's really talking about.
According to him, there were about 30-50 raccoons in the yard that night. (Quite an impressive range, no? Remember, his wife said only about 20.)
And, I guess anywhere from 8-10 or 15 (depending on which point in the conversation you're at) went around the corner on the one street. And the same number went around the corner on the other street. And the same number when directly through my yard to the adjoining yard. And I got ROBBED, or shafted, or....[insert any other similar adjective], because those stupid creatures stole all of my food.
I kept trying to ask him what Animal Control said, and wasn't really getting anywhere. It pretty much sounds like, the reason the raccoons have set up shop behind his garage is due to the water in the basement that his landlord seems to refuse to do anything about. And Animal Control won't do anything because "someone is feeding them."
Yeah, I purposely planted all of that food in my yard because I wanted to feed the wild animals in the city. I wasn't really trying to have some fresh, healthy, organic produce and to save myself a significant chunk of money during my unpaid summer in this crappy economy.
So, Teacha recommends that I start complaining to the city. Of course, he has grandiose dreams of me filing suit against the city (it started with me losing $1000 -- which is an overstatement, though perhaps not by too much -- and ended with $30,000). And of course he'll have my back, so that he can share in my earnings. And he thinks I'll end up on CNN.
(More backstory: He constantly has some scheme in mind where I do all the work and earn all the money, but because it's his idea and he can supposedly help me with the paperwork, he should be a 50-50 partner in reaping the financial rewards.)
So, basically, I guess it needs to start with me calling Animal Control myself, and starting from there. Do I really feel like spending all this time with it? Not really. But it is a serious problem, and it's affecting the entire neighborhood, so.........
I'll keep y'all posted.....
Quick backstory: He just moved into the house across the street a few months ago. He loves to drink his 40s, then give prophecies and lots of advice, especially if it somehow entails him making money off of my efforts. The beer makes him relatively incoherent, and you have to take the bits and pieces you heard repeated 18 times, then sift them to figure out what he's really talking about.
According to him, there were about 30-50 raccoons in the yard that night. (Quite an impressive range, no? Remember, his wife said only about 20.)
And, I guess anywhere from 8-10 or 15 (depending on which point in the conversation you're at) went around the corner on the one street. And the same number went around the corner on the other street. And the same number when directly through my yard to the adjoining yard. And I got ROBBED, or shafted, or....[insert any other similar adjective], because those stupid creatures stole all of my food.
I kept trying to ask him what Animal Control said, and wasn't really getting anywhere. It pretty much sounds like, the reason the raccoons have set up shop behind his garage is due to the water in the basement that his landlord seems to refuse to do anything about. And Animal Control won't do anything because "someone is feeding them."
Yeah, I purposely planted all of that food in my yard because I wanted to feed the wild animals in the city. I wasn't really trying to have some fresh, healthy, organic produce and to save myself a significant chunk of money during my unpaid summer in this crappy economy.
So, Teacha recommends that I start complaining to the city. Of course, he has grandiose dreams of me filing suit against the city (it started with me losing $1000 -- which is an overstatement, though perhaps not by too much -- and ended with $30,000). And of course he'll have my back, so that he can share in my earnings. And he thinks I'll end up on CNN.
(More backstory: He constantly has some scheme in mind where I do all the work and earn all the money, but because it's his idea and he can supposedly help me with the paperwork, he should be a 50-50 partner in reaping the financial rewards.)
So, basically, I guess it needs to start with me calling Animal Control myself, and starting from there. Do I really feel like spending all this time with it? Not really. But it is a serious problem, and it's affecting the entire neighborhood, so.........
I'll keep y'all posted.....
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Stupid Raccoons
The other afternoon, as I was preparing to head for a day at the lake, my neighbor across the street from my driveway hollered over to me.
"Hey! I tried bangin' on your door last night 'cuz you had TWENTY raccoons in your yard!"
Dammit.
She went on to tell me that she had come home from church, and as she was getting out of the car, her husband yelled at her to get back in. She asked him why, and he told her there were raccoons. She thought he'd had too much to drink (as is his custom in the evenings, while he sits on the porch watching everyone) and started to get out again. But the neighbor in the house next to them also hollered over for her to stay put. And sure enough, there were two sitting in front of the car.
Her friend started flipping the headlights, but the raccoons didn't move.
Now, this is the part where a couple of details start to get a little fuzzy, because I frequently have difficulty following her train of thought, and as a result sometimes end up with misinformation.
Supposedly, as the evening wore on, the various neighbors all around me noticed numerous raccoons in the yard. Was it really 20? I honestly have no idea, because 20 to her could be five or thirty.
Eventually, she called Animal Control, who came out because she was the fourth phone call of the night. The way she describes it, he just kinda sat there scratching his head as numerous raccoons were running around stealing my corn and other food, hiding behind my neighbor's bushes, and into the garage on the other side of mine. And then he said something along the lines of they wouldn't do anything unless we wanted to pay to rent cages and then they would come and pick them up.
I'm a little miffed about that whole bit.
Apparently, there is a whole family of raccoons that is living behind the garage of the house across the street, because her landlord has been dumping wood back there, thus creating a haven. Having a ready-made food source across the street (i.e. my garden) hasn't been helping matters. And, apparently, I am not the only one who has been suffering losses.
I've been wary coming home at night, now, because I don't want to run into any raccoons. And if I let the dogs out at night, I am now sitting right out there with them, because I don't want them to tangle with a raccoon, either.
This morning, I got up to let the boys out, and the neighbor started hollering at me again. This time she was mad because they had been dragging the corn stalks around and left a couple of pieces in her yard. She started telling me that I needed to put up a fence.
Ok, 1 -- I don't have the money, the time, nor the ability to do such a thing.
2 -- At this late point in the season, I almost don't care anymore.
3 -- They know how to climb -- they climb trees -- and I don't think the kind of fence that I can get away with putting up (without going through the hell of trying to order permits and having one built for me, which is ridiculous on such a small plot as the garden is) is really going to deter the little beasts.
So, lesson learned is that I will have to look into trying to put up some kind of a fence next year. Or, I just can't grow corn, after all, in my neighborhood. I'm highly disappointed, because I have been waiting all summer to sink my teeth into some fresh corn on the cob. And I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, so it's making me just a little bit crankier than usual. :-)
"Hey! I tried bangin' on your door last night 'cuz you had TWENTY raccoons in your yard!"
Dammit.
She went on to tell me that she had come home from church, and as she was getting out of the car, her husband yelled at her to get back in. She asked him why, and he told her there were raccoons. She thought he'd had too much to drink (as is his custom in the evenings, while he sits on the porch watching everyone) and started to get out again. But the neighbor in the house next to them also hollered over for her to stay put. And sure enough, there were two sitting in front of the car.
Her friend started flipping the headlights, but the raccoons didn't move.
Now, this is the part where a couple of details start to get a little fuzzy, because I frequently have difficulty following her train of thought, and as a result sometimes end up with misinformation.
Supposedly, as the evening wore on, the various neighbors all around me noticed numerous raccoons in the yard. Was it really 20? I honestly have no idea, because 20 to her could be five or thirty.
Eventually, she called Animal Control, who came out because she was the fourth phone call of the night. The way she describes it, he just kinda sat there scratching his head as numerous raccoons were running around stealing my corn and other food, hiding behind my neighbor's bushes, and into the garage on the other side of mine. And then he said something along the lines of they wouldn't do anything unless we wanted to pay to rent cages and then they would come and pick them up.
I'm a little miffed about that whole bit.
Apparently, there is a whole family of raccoons that is living behind the garage of the house across the street, because her landlord has been dumping wood back there, thus creating a haven. Having a ready-made food source across the street (i.e. my garden) hasn't been helping matters. And, apparently, I am not the only one who has been suffering losses.
I've been wary coming home at night, now, because I don't want to run into any raccoons. And if I let the dogs out at night, I am now sitting right out there with them, because I don't want them to tangle with a raccoon, either.
This morning, I got up to let the boys out, and the neighbor started hollering at me again. This time she was mad because they had been dragging the corn stalks around and left a couple of pieces in her yard. She started telling me that I needed to put up a fence.
Ok, 1 -- I don't have the money, the time, nor the ability to do such a thing.
2 -- At this late point in the season, I almost don't care anymore.
3 -- They know how to climb -- they climb trees -- and I don't think the kind of fence that I can get away with putting up (without going through the hell of trying to order permits and having one built for me, which is ridiculous on such a small plot as the garden is) is really going to deter the little beasts.
So, lesson learned is that I will have to look into trying to put up some kind of a fence next year. Or, I just can't grow corn, after all, in my neighborhood. I'm highly disappointed, because I have been waiting all summer to sink my teeth into some fresh corn on the cob. And I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, so it's making me just a little bit crankier than usual. :-)
Saturday, August 8, 2009
I battled the poison ivy....and I won
Ok, so I didn't actually pull it out.....but I don't have a rash today, so that is mega-points for me!
For my one major remaining gardening job of the summer, my last big project is to clean out this bed on the side of the backyard. When I was edging it to make space for the mulch last week, I noticed several giant patches of poison ivy lurking within. I showed it to the lady, who has never noticed it before. I also noticed there are other patches of ivy that look similar, but don't have the telltale irregular notched edges.
They were going to try to remove the poison ivy for me, but didn't have a chance, yet. They wanted to spray, but I warned them against doing so, because all the literature says that just spreads the urushiol oil around.
So, I went out in my "Poison Ivy Haz-Mat" gear to work in the yard today. I wore my gardening shoes with socks pulled all the way up, jeans over my capris, and a long-sleeved button-down shirt over my t-shirt. I pulled my hair back tightly at the crown so that none would fall out, and used Wegmans bags over my gloves. And I did my best to work around it as long as I could stand it.
Why am I freaking out about it? Well, the last two summers, I ended up with cellulitis from poison ivy rashes. I published my perils just about a year ago:
My Poison Ivy Rash Turned Into Cellulitis
But worse than that was the fact that it indirectly also caused me to become anemic, and it took me over six months to recover from that.
So why do I keep gardening? People keep telling me that I shouldn't work in the gardens if I am so sensitive to it. But I love to work outdoors. There isn't a better way to make money in the summers! And since I know what it looks like, I can try to avoid it. I also tell people up front that I will not touch it, and why I won't touch it.
I also always carry poison ivy soap with me, so that if I accidentally come across it, I can immediately wash myself. Laundry detergent also works. And remember to not wash in hot water, as that opens the pores.
If you do get yourself into a nasty patch of poison ivy......
How to Get Doctor's Care for Poison Ivy
For my one major remaining gardening job of the summer, my last big project is to clean out this bed on the side of the backyard. When I was edging it to make space for the mulch last week, I noticed several giant patches of poison ivy lurking within. I showed it to the lady, who has never noticed it before. I also noticed there are other patches of ivy that look similar, but don't have the telltale irregular notched edges.
They were going to try to remove the poison ivy for me, but didn't have a chance, yet. They wanted to spray, but I warned them against doing so, because all the literature says that just spreads the urushiol oil around.
So, I went out in my "Poison Ivy Haz-Mat" gear to work in the yard today. I wore my gardening shoes with socks pulled all the way up, jeans over my capris, and a long-sleeved button-down shirt over my t-shirt. I pulled my hair back tightly at the crown so that none would fall out, and used Wegmans bags over my gloves. And I did my best to work around it as long as I could stand it.
Why am I freaking out about it? Well, the last two summers, I ended up with cellulitis from poison ivy rashes. I published my perils just about a year ago:
My Poison Ivy Rash Turned Into Cellulitis
But worse than that was the fact that it indirectly also caused me to become anemic, and it took me over six months to recover from that.
So why do I keep gardening? People keep telling me that I shouldn't work in the gardens if I am so sensitive to it. But I love to work outdoors. There isn't a better way to make money in the summers! And since I know what it looks like, I can try to avoid it. I also tell people up front that I will not touch it, and why I won't touch it.
I also always carry poison ivy soap with me, so that if I accidentally come across it, I can immediately wash myself. Laundry detergent also works. And remember to not wash in hot water, as that opens the pores.
If you do get yourself into a nasty patch of poison ivy......
How to Get Doctor's Care for Poison Ivy
Monday, August 3, 2009
More corn missing, but there's a cucumber!
I took the post-rain day walk around the yard this morning, to assess any damage or immediate needs. I noticed that more of the corn stalks have been chewed down (I still say it's the damn squirrels!!) even though they have no cobs on them. grrrr
I also noticed that in one of the pots of cucumbers that is somewhat protected by other pots, there is finally a cucumber growing! So, I may actually get something else this year!
I remember reading somewhere that you should put marigolds around your garden to deter small critters. I doubt there are any left, but I may just have to look for some on clearance or something. Or else, just count my losses and remember to do it next year.
I also noticed that in one of the pots of cucumbers that is somewhat protected by other pots, there is finally a cucumber growing! So, I may actually get something else this year!
I remember reading somewhere that you should put marigolds around your garden to deter small critters. I doubt there are any left, but I may just have to look for some on clearance or something. Or else, just count my losses and remember to do it next year.
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